Lions start staff furloughs

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on May 23, 2011, 4:39 PM EDT

AP

More and more NFL owners are making their employees pay for their mismanagement.

The Detroit Lions are the latest team to cut back, starting mandatory two week furloughs for team employees on Monday. The unpaid breaks will apparently include all employees, including the coaching staff.

“While we have made some adjustments to our business operation due to the current labor situation, we are not going to comment specifically about those changes,” the team told the Detroit News Monday.

Back in March, President Tom Lewand said any possible furloughs would include all employees, including G.M. Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz.

29 responses to “Lions start staff furloughs”

The lockout is really beginning to hurt teams like the Lions. They are up-and-coming, and should have had an offseason full of building the strengths that everyone saw last year and fixing the weaknesses to alow them to creep into contention.

Especially in a city economically as hurting as Detroit, this lockout needs to end…

Before furloughs, they should’ve tried getting some of that Matt Millen money back. He seems pretty dumb (based on his moves as GM), so maybe they could steal it back with the ol’, ‘Hey Matt, look over there–‘ trick.

Who are you to all these teams gutless or mismanaging their teams? Have you ever run a business? Unfortunately businesses need to make cuts in staff occasionally. The Lions and Cardinals are not giant money makers like Dallas or New England.

No employee (players included) is ever guaranteed employement, especially in difficult economic times amidst a labor problem. Your emotionally based opinion simply strip you of all credibility in my opinion. The good news is that these people still have jobs to com back to.

Secondly most states allow you to get some type of unemployement compensation for these types of furloughs. So please, leave your bleeding heart liberal bias at the door. We all know this site reeks of siding with labor and players, but your silly sophmore idealistic labor jabs just make your writing subpar.

“More and more NFL owners are making their employees pay for their mismanagement.”

Sounds like this “mismanagement” should be investigated further. Gregg, please provide us with the details of this. In fact, even provide us with some conjecture if you don’t have details. Or, what the hell, just invent some, and explain what a more astute businessman you are than the owners and point out how you would run the Lions differently and make them a more successful business.

Again, will someone please explain to me how anyone one in there right mind thinks this would make sense!!
1. Owners are not paying roster bonuses
2. Owners are not paying workout Bonuses
3. Owners are not paying signing bonuses to free agents
4. Owners are not having to pay negoitiators (obviously)
5. Owners ar making more money on raised NFL merchandise

No games have been missed, no tv money has been lost. Why would they need to cut payroll during the offseason if they normally don’t!!

Then again, I am a season ticket holder who already paid for games that may not happen!! At least I know I paid for an actual seat !!

To me this seems like some kind of violation of business morals and business ethics. The owners are the ones who pulled out of the agreement and instituted a lockout, and knew of the possibility for almost2 YEARS. It’s not like this is September and the games aren’t being played and the TV revenue isn’t coming in. Its freaking May!!! They should have prepared for this. Don’t they feel they owe something to the employees who have been loyal to them?

This isn’t Ford’s first time around the block when it comes to cost saving. It’s a business. Had they sold out their season tickets like the Saints, it might be a different story. Tough times call for tough measures.

The Players Association union has been dissolved. If I walked out on a contracted job and demanded more revenue from the business owner that hired me without representation by a union, I would not have that job any longer.
There are a lot of people that feel under appreciated and under paid at their current positions. For many Americans that is just a part of life. If you don’t like what you are getting paid and you don’t like your job for the amount of money you are receiving then you should go find a different job.
I work for the government and I am forced to take furlough days just like these team employees. Am I going to threaten my boss and tell him I want more money? I don’t think so.
Yes, the owners are greedy, but is that a news flash to anyone? If players don’t like it then they should buy their own team and give away as much money as they would like (which wouldn’t be much, because they are just as greedy). Until then you have to tow the line, just like millions of other Americans that don’t agree with or even like their bosses. We live in an economic system that rewards greed. It is time to get back to work or get a new job!

Again, will someone please explain to me how anyone one in there right mind thinks this would make sense!!
1. Owners are not paying roster bonuses
2. Owners are not paying workout Bonuses
3. Owners are not paying signing bonuses to free agents
4. Owners are not having to pay negoitiators (obviously)
5. Owners ar making more money on raised NFL merchandise

No games have been missed, no tv money has been lost. Why would they need to cut payroll during the offseason if they normally don’t!!

Then again, I am a season ticket holder who already paid for games that may not happen!! At least I know I paid for an actual seat !!

this gentleman is exactly right, teams wouldn’t be doing a whole lot right now anyway, and Gregg Rosenthal your writing is always good as well as the rest of the PFT staff, and @smacklayer, i just hope you never get laid off and have to feed and house you family on what you get from unemployment benefits, and if you don’t like this site no one is twisting your are to come here…..idiot

A business is not a charity. If it weren’t for these owners having the business to begin with, these employees would not have these jobs. Yet you condemn them when they need to make tough financial decisions which affect peoples lives.

Would you condemn them if they just kept their money in a bank account and not invested in a business that employs people?

These owners are not sitting back lighting cigars with $100 bills laughing at the employee going home on furloughs. These are people they work with everyday, friends, family, etc. I am sure these decisions are coming from a genuine business motive.

I know this is a foreign concept for people who are lifetime union members and the like, but sometimes business owners need to cut costs if they want their business to succeed. I know you union guys would rather have the business go under before you would ever consider taking a pay cut, but this is a reality. Just look at the INSANE reaction of the unions in Wisconsin when they DARE try to make some VERY reasonable changes to the compensation system there.

Would the players/partners like to pony up some of their cash to avoid furloughs and layoffs?